Gun and gun carriage



Nov. 29, 1949 c. D. BURNEY GUN AND GUN CARRIAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 6, 1945 Inventor D.BU RNEY Nov. 29, 1949 C. D. BURNEY GUN AND GUNCARRIAGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 6, 1945 Inventor C, D. B UR wayAttorneys Nov. 29, 1949 C. BURNEY GUN AND GUN CARRIAGE 3 Sheets-She et 3Filed Sept. 6, 1945 Inventor B uRA/EY Attorneys Patented Nov. 29, 1949UNITED STATE TENT QFHCE GUN AND GUN CARRIAGE Charles Dennistoun Burney,Baynards Park, near Cranleigh, England Section 1, Public Law 69c, Augusts. 1946 Patent expires January 1, 1963 1 Claim.

The present invention relates to recoilless guns of the kind in whichthe gun barrel does not require any mechanism for absorbing the recoilshock on firing and does not transfer any substantial recoil shock tothe gun mounting or carriage. The term recoilless is used herein todenote a gun in which the whole or substantially the whole of the barrelrecoil is eliminated and no shock or substantially no shock istransferred to the mounting. In some instances, however, a small recoilshock may be transferred to the mounting and in some cases a degree ofbarrel recoil may be allowed for the purpose of operating automaticloading mechanism.

The invention has for its main object to provide an improvedconstruction of mobile recoilless gun adapted for dropping fromaircraft. The invention is primarily devised for application torecoilless guns as described in the specification of my prior concurrentpatent application, Serial No. 552,347, filed September 1, 1944, forimprovements in or related to ordnance and small arms, although it isalso applicable to other recoilless guns.

A further important object is to enable guns of the kind set forth to becarried by and dropped from aircraft as normally built and adapted forcarrying and dropping torpedoes, so that it is unnecessary to build newaircraft or make substantial alterations to existing aircraft forcarrying and dropping guns.

According to the main feature of the invention, I provide a mobilerecoilless gun in which the barrel is supported on horizontal trunnionsby a bracket which is rotatable on an underframe, wheeled at or near oneend, about a vertical pivot disposed between the wheels at one end ofthe underframe and the other end of the underframe, but nearer to thewheeled end of the underframe than the other, and wherein the centre ofgravity of the gun proper lies between the muzzle and the verticalpivot, so that with the ma or portion of the underframe constituting afalse trail extending forwardly beneath the gun barrel, unobstructedaccess is obtained to the breech end of the gun overhanging the wheels,and the gun barrel and mounting as a whole forms a stable structure,both for firing and transport. Thus in its firing position, as well asduring transport, the gun barrel extends over the major portion of theunderframe, in which respect the gun differs from normal guns, in thecase of which in the firing position the major portion of the underframeusually forms a trail extending rearwardly i. e. oppositely to the gunbarrel. For this reason the major and forwardly extending part of theunderframe is herein referred to as a false trail.

An important advantage of locating the vertical pivot nearer to thewheeled end of the underfrarne than the other, which arises in the caseof guns according to the present invention, in which the barrel in itsnormal firing position extends over the major portion of the underframe,with its breech end extending beyond the wheeled end of the underframe,is that there is no trail to obstruct access to the breech end of thegun for the purposes of loading and laying.

The gun is ready for loading on an aircraft with its barrel extending inits normal firing position, longitudinally over the major portion orfalse trail of the underframe, in which position the overall length ofthe gun and. carriage as a whole is a minimum, and the gun and carriageform a compact structure which will occupy a minimum of space on or inan aircraft.

In consequence of the weight distribution of gun in relation to thewheels and the underframe, with the barrel in its firing positionoverlying the false trail or major portion of the underframe, if the gunon its mounting is loaded in an aircraft with its barrel directedtowards the tail of the aircraft, when it is dropped from th aircraft,say from a height of three or four feet, the gun as a whole will make astable three point landing on its two wheels and the end of the falsetrail, and will travel forward on its wheels without overturning.Preferably, the false trail itself, which may be either of single orsplit type, carries at its rear end a shoe, or lever member, which isrotatable about an axis at right angles to the trail. in combinationwith brake mechanism acting on the wheels of the gun carriage, which isoperated by rotation of the shoe or lever caused by its engagement withthe ground. By this means the gun carriage may be rapidly brought torest after being dropped from an aircraft.

The gun with the barrel overlying the false trail or major portion ofthe underframe may be slung beneath the body of an aircraft, in a mannersimilar to a torpedo, by means of two arms which encircle the barrel ofthe gun, which arms are simultaneously opened to release the gun when itis to be dropped. This mechanism may be similar to the torpedo mountingand dropping gear employed on torpedo carrying aircraft, the gun barreltaking the place of the torpedo, and it is contemplated that suchaircraft could be used ning the axle, in a manner similar to thatcommonly employed in connection with motor carsr' Provision may be madefor locking th springs between the wheels and the gun, when the gunisswun into firing position, so as to prevent the possibility of movementon firing:

Means may be provided for clamping'the muzzle false trail, with the gunbarrel clamped in this position. If the gun is to be provided with ashield, in order to permit rotation of the gun through 180 or 360,thegun shield may be at- The platform l5 and false trail 2 are mountedon the wheels 1 and the axle structure la through the intermediary ofsuitable leaf spring structures 8, and the barrel i is adapted to beelevated about the trunnions 3 by the elevating gear 9. The leaf springstructures .3 are parallel and spaced apart along the axle structure 1a;each spring structure has one end thereof secured to the axle structurelai The opposite end of each spring structure 8 is securedto the falsetrail 2 at 25, and the false trail is supported by the spring structures8 at the point-2G"'intermediate the length of the spring structures; Fortraversing the gun the traversing-gear i9 is operated to rotate themount 4 on l5lrthe=platform To permit an all round traverse end of thegun to the false trail of the carriage, so that the gun can be towed bymeans of the tached to the gun-itself, the-lower part of the shieldbeing hinged to enable it toclear the wheels I when the'gun is beingrotated. Theshield-on the gun may operate in conjunction with a lowershield mounted on the wheeled under-frame.-

Ifdesired theprotectionafi-orded by shieldmay' be increased-by employingdisc wheels of armour plate and 'so--;m0unting th mbn their axletreesthatthey can berotated into a planeat right anglesto the axisof-thegun,-so as in efiectto fOrn'r extensions-of the shield in thedownward direction? Adjustable means would, or

course, be provided for locking the wheels either" A incth-is positionor-in theirnormal running posi tion.,'withtheirplanes-parallel'tothe-axis of the Animportant'advantage of the'inventionwhen" the gun is of the-recoille'ss typedescribe'd in theabove-mentioned applicationySerai'No. 552,347, in-

voluing considerableextension 'ofthe gun'in rear the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan View thereof with the shield removed,

Figure 3 is a view showing the gun mounted fortransport by an aeroplane;and

Figure 4 is a front view illustrating a modification of the field gunmounting of Figures 1 and 2.'

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 a recoilless field gun, for example, of3.45" calibre, is mounted on a carriage with its barrel I extending inthe same direction as the false trail 2 of the carriage; The

gun is mounted on trunnions 3 pivotally carried. by a bracket or mount trotatable about a vertical axis 5 projecting upwardly from a platform 6,which, together with the false trail 2, constitutes the chassis orunderframe of the gun carriage. As will be seen, the axis of thetrunnions lies vertically above and is intersected by the axis of thevertical pivot 5.

The center of gravity G of the barrel lies between its muzzle la and theaxis of the trunnions 3.

trail by a clamping device generally indicated at 43; The-end'of thefalse trail 2 is provided with I fitting-to enable'the gun-to be an eyei5 or other towed when desired.

When inaction the protection afforded by the shield iimay-beincreased'if the wheels l areso mounted on the ends of their axletreeythat they '1 may be rotated rearwardly about vertical axes. intopositions at right angles to their normal runningpositions, asillustrated'by Figured:

The gun may be slung beneath an aeroplane as illustrated by Figure'3,theibarrel being gripped to those employed by clamps or bands 58 similaron aircraft for them-slinging .oftorpedoes, and similar meansbeingiprovided leasing the clamps or bandsilll when it is desired-todrop the gun from the aeroplane at a shortfdistance above the ground.

Asuthe gun will land from an aeroplane with considerable forwardvelocity, it isdesirableto provide it with braking means. thefalse trail2 is which on landing engages with the ground and operates suitable rodand lever mechanism 293' coupled to the-wheel brakes 2!, so that thebrakes of the wheels 1 are applied as soon as the spike 89 engages theground.

The same braking mechanism will'serve to pre-' vent accidental movementof the gun carriage from its arranged firing position, the brakes beinapplied by hand operated mechanism in. the usual way, so that the spikei9 is projected H from the false trail into a position in which it canbe forced into the ground so as to form an anchor opposing'any forwardor rearward move-.- ment of the gun from its firing position, due. to.

any partial forward or rearward recoil of the mounting on firing,although the gun of 166% non-recoil type.

I claim:

In a guncarriage, a pair ofspaced wheels;

axle structure supported by-said wheels, a o r of spaced parallel leafspring structures e ing substantially horizontally from same side of theaxle structure as said spri the ends of the springs distant from the a.1; structure being secured to said false trail and the false trail beingsupported bysaid springstrum tures intermediate the length-of thelatter, a bracket carried by said false trail above and outwardly fromsaid axle structure, said bracket being rotatable with respect to saidtrail on a for opening or re-' For this purpose may be fitted with agroundspike is preferably said axle structure, a falsetrailpositioned onthe 5 vertical axis, a second bracket having gun trunnions and pivotallyconnected to said first bracket on a horizontal axis lying a substantialdistance above said axle structure, a recoilless gun ba el carried insaid trunnions with its muzzle dir' :5 away from the axle structure tofire in the direction of said false trail, the center of gravity of saidbarrel being disposed between the barrel muzzle and said horizontal axisupon Which said trunnion is rotatable.

CHARLES DENNISTOUN BURNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 6 Name Date Pompili Nov. 19, 1912Cooke Feb. 11, 1919 Schneider July 22, 1919 Giles Oct. 18, 1921Schneider Apr. 1'7, 1923 Randolph Aug. 12, 1924 Rosner Sept. 30, 1924Riabouchinski Feb. 28, 1928 Joyce -1 Aug. 17, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTSCountry Date Denmark Jan. 23, 1899 Austria May 11, 1903 Denmark JulyOTl-IER REFERENCES" Popular Science, April 1944, page 132, Nazi 75- 20mm. Paracannon.

